Holy Church of Jesus Christ was a schismatic sect in the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

that formed under the leadership of Alexandre Caffiaux, a French member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite Church). In 1963, Caffiaux travelled from France to

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

to become a member of the Strangite church. In Wisconsin, he was

baptized Baptism (from grc-x-koine, βάπτισμα, váptisma) is a form of ritual purification—a characteristic of many religions throughout time and geography. In Christianity, it is a Christian sacrament of initiation and adoption, almost ...

and was ordained to the priesthood.

J. Gordon Melton John Gordon Melton (born September 19, 1942) is an American religious scholar who was the founding director of the Institute for the Study of American Religion and is currently the Distinguished Professor of American Religious History with the Ins ...

(1996, 5th ed.). ''Encyclopedia of American Religions'' (Detroit, Mich.: Gale) p. 583. On his return flight to France, Caffiaux reported receiving a

revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

from God that he was the rightful successor to Joseph Smith, Jr. and James J. Strang and that he should become the head of the church.Stanley L. Johnston (1966). ''The Call and Ordination of Alexandre Roger Caffiaux'' (n.p.). In 1964, while visiting

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

, Caffiaux reported being visited by an

angel In various theistic religious traditions an angel is a supernatural spiritual being who serves God. Abrahamic religions often depict angels as benevolent celestial intermediaries between God (or Heaven) and humanity. Other roles include ...

in a

vision Vision, Visions, or The Vision may refer to: Perception Optical perception * Visual perception, the sense of sight * Visual system, the physical mechanism of eyesight * Computer vision, a field dealing with how computers can be made to gain un ...

and being ordained a

prophet, seer, and revelator Prophet, seer, and revelator is an ecclesiastical title used in the Latter Day Saint movement. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) is the largest denomination of the movement, and it currently applies the terms to the membe ...

and the embodiment of the

First Presidency Among many churches in the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (also known as the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) is the highest presiding or governing body. Present-day denominations of the movement led by a First Presidency ...

of the

Melchizedek priesthood The priesthood of Melchizedek is a role in Abrahamic religions, modelled on Melchizedek, combining the dual position of king and priest. Hebrew Bible Melchizedek is a king and priest appearing in the Book of Genesis. The name means "King of Right ...

. Other Strangite adherents in France supported Caffiaux in his claims. Although Caffiaux called for a general church conference to consider his claims, none was called. At a conference of the Strangite church in France, the Strangite adherents voted to rename their congregation "''Église sainte de Jésus Christ''" — the "Holy Church of Jesus Christ". In 1978, the Strangite church formally rejected Caffiaux's claims. In 1966, the Holy Church of Jesus Christ had congregations in France and in

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ker ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The organization is now defunct.

References

Strangite denominations in the Latter Day Saint movement Latter Day Saint movement in France Latter Day Saint movement in New Mexico Christian organizations established in 1964 Christian organizations based in France Christian denominations established in the 20th century Defunct Latter Day Saint denominations {{LDS-stub